The Undying Apex Predators
by Mizore53
Summary: One impaled by a spear. One crushed beneath the weight of a crumbling house. Two lost souls who once held the power of gods, now pervaded by an empty and endless dark. They will awaken where all undead first find themselves; in an asylum far to the north. Only time will tell if these two hold the power to overcome this world and usher in a new age. Dark Souls Crossover
1. A Light in the Darkness

Chapter 1: A Light in the Darkness

 _There are many worlds of darkness. Worlds where light and warmth are scarce and scattered. But among theses dark and lonely worlds, there are those where fire was linked. These worlds act as a beacon for lost souls. Worlds of magic and chaos where time is twisted and shrouded in fog. Realms fade in and out, and death loses its meaning. Where the dead become cursed with a dark sign of their ill fate. Doomed to roam these lands, fighting and clawing at what humanity can be plundered, or letting what little humanity remains slip away until nothing remains but a hollowed shell, full of hunger and madness. Many accursed lost souls who find themselves in this realm of ancient lords come from lands that are known. Astora, Catarina, Carim, Thorolund; these places are known, and the realm of Lordran is known to them. But there are those with the power to see through the abyss, to these other worlds. To guide lost, powerful souls into this accursed realm. There will be no peace to await them. The age of fire is ending. And if these two ever wish to be free of this undead curse, they will ensure that the soul of that old fool Gwyn burns out, with no one to succeed him._

 _One impaled by a spear. One crushed beneath the weight of a crumbling house. Two lost souls, who once held the power of gods, now pervaded by an empty and endless dark. They will awaken where all undead first find themselves; in an asylum far to the north. I should think they won't be there long. But if they succumb to the asylum, they were never of use to me anyway. Hahahaha._

 _Only time will tell if these two hold the power to overcome this world and usher in a new age. That's the only way they'll ever find their way back._

After death, there was only endless dark. There was no warmth, nor was there cold. There was an absence of feeling altogether. Only the void, and a voice that whispered.

'Overcome this accursed world of the undead, and live once again.'

That was all that was known to Andrew Detmer and Carrie White upon waking in a dungeon. Neither had said much to the other. Neither had much to say in general. Andrew sat in the same jeans and hoodie he had been wearing through his rampage across Seattle. Ripped up and tattered, bearing the hole that had been torn through him. Carrie sat across from him, still wearing her hand stitched pink dress, soaked red with blood that wasn't hers. Distant wails and cries echoed through the stone halls. This place was full of so much disparity and darkness, but they felt none of it. They merely felt empty, their faces disfigured by the curse and their lack of humanity. The void of unchanging time was broken, however, when a corpse was dropped in from the opening in the ceiling above. The pair looked up, and saw a figure in full armor crouched over the opening, as if surveying the room, before the figure departed and they were alone once more. Andrew slowly rose to his feet and shambled over to the newfallen corpse.

A quick search discovered a key. Andrew held it up for further inspection. Carrie rose to her feet, and spoke.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Her voice was low and raspy, like someone who was sick.

Andrew turned his attention to the keyhole of the cell door. The key entered the lock easily, and with a sharp turn, aloud clang echoed, followed by the slow creak of a rusty door swinging open. They were free.

"We're free. But where can we go from here?" Asked Carrie

"Overcome this accursed world of the undead…"

"... And live once again." Finished Carrie

"You heard that voice too?"

Carrie nodded.

"Do you remember how you died?" She asked

Andrew shook his head. His hand moved to the hole in his shirt.

"I imagine that this is what killed me though." He said soberly

Carrie looked to be in thought, but said nothing more. They passed numerous undead on their way out of the dungeon. Lost souls, trapped in prisons of despair. Harmless to them, and barely moving, never speaking.

Leaving the sewer like dungeons, the pair entered an open courtyard, with a twisted sword plunged into a firepit. After exchanging a look, Andrew moved to take hold of the hilt of the sword. But upon contact with the sword, the firepit burst to life and the sword quickly became too hot to touch. Andrew jerked his hand back. Carrie joined him by the fireside, observing the flames.

"I can feel the warmth…" she trailed off, as she sat next to the fire, soaking up the warmth with her body

Andrew sat next to her, and felt the revitalizing warmth spread into his body. He was surprised to feel a weight on his shoulder and find Carrie resting her head against him. His arm spread across her shoulders and pulled her close, and for the moment, they allowed themselves a moment of peace by the light and warmth of the flame.


	2. Pilgrimage

Chapter 2: Pilgrimage

A/N: Happy Canada Day, 150 year anniversary 1867-2017

Their time by the bonfire seemed immaterial. It could have been hours, or mere minutes that they sat together in that respite from the cold and dark.

"We need to keep moving." Andrew's voice was quiet and shallow

Carrie nodded against him in response. She rose to her feet, and extended Andrew a helping hand. He gripped her hand tight and she leaned her weight into pulling him to his feet. Andrew took a moment to orient himself, as the peace of the bonfire faded away and the cold atmosphere of this world seeped into his body.

"Alright, I'm good. Let's keep moving." Andrew answered Carrie's unasked question as she watched him silently

The two of them made their way to the heavy iron doors that blocked their path. Together they threw their weight against the doors, which slowly swung inward, revealing an open stone room lined with columns, in an old, worn down manner of architecture consistent with what they had seen so far.

The pair had only just passed the first row of columns, when a massive monster dropped in from the open ceiling of the room. The floor shook upon its landing, and it gave them little time to react, as it brought its heavy club about in a swing.

In a swift reaction, Andrew turned and shoved Carrie out of the way. She fell to the ground, and Andrew took a direct hit from the club right in the ribs. The wind was knocked from his chest and he was thrown backwards. Carrie looked back, but escape was no longer an option. The doors through which they had entered were shut once again.

But this Asylum Demon didn't give them the time to recover. It was ready with another strike. Carrie ran behind the cover of the columns to draw the monster's attention away from the downed Andrew. Scanning the room, she found what they needed. Across the room, she saw a small open door behind the columns. Circling back to where Andrew was getting up again, she took his hand in hers and ran for the door. An iron gate dropped shut behind them, and for the moment, they were safe.

"Why did you come back for me?" asked Andrew

They sat down at the bonfire in the next room and the ache from Andrew's injury faded away in the warmth of the flame. This time, Carrie pulled Andrew to rest against her.

"You could have died, coming back for me." said Andrew

"If I hadn't, you would've died for sure."

"Why do you care?"

"Why don't you?"

Andrew fell silent, staring into the flames.

"How's your ribs? You got hit pretty hard." Carrie inquired

"I'm alright." Andrew separated from Carrie, and started to get up. She grabbed his shoulder.

"You can tell me if you aren't."

Andrew looked at her for a moment, before nodding. He got to his feet and led the way forward out of the room. Making their way into the next room, they heard the danger before they saw it. The sound of a bolt being fired from a crossbow. The pair ducked to the side, and the bolt sailed harmlessly past them.

"It would be nice if we had something to block with. Like some armor." said Andrew

"Or a shield?" replied Carrie

"Yes, or a-" he turned and found Carrie holding a shield looted from a nearby corpse. Andrew's hollowed face cracked a small smile "Shield."

He looked down at the corpse and found it also had a longsword and a dagger. After strapping the longsword on himself, he passed the dagger to Carrie, who had been holding the full size shield with both hands.

"Take this too, so you can hit back." he said

Carrie paused for a moment, but nodded. She set the shield aside for a moment, and strapped the dagger to her hip.

"We'll have to work together." she said, raising the shield again

Andrew drew the longsword, holding it steady in two hands. The pair stepped out, Carrie raising the shield steady in both hands, Andrew following safely behind. Proceeding shots from the archer at the top of the ramp bounced harmlessly off of the sturdy shield. Even as the hollow fled to keep a safe distance, it quickly ran out of room. After blocking one last shot closing in, Carrie ducked aside and Andrew slayed it with an overhead strike. A white mist flowed into them from the fallen hollow, but their attention was now on the wall of light that obscured the path ahead.

Carrie stepped forward and pressed her hand to the barrier. Her hand sank into the light with ease. She extended her other hand to him. He took her hand in his, and they crossed the threshold together.

They found themselves on a balcony overlooking the courtyard where they had first rested by the bonfire. They found a staircase leading up and another leading down. And since they already knew what awaited them past the courtyard below, up they went. What they didn't expect was the massive lead ball that was sent rolling down the stairs towards them. Carrie threw up her shield, but it did little to help. She was thrown backward into Andrew, and they tumbled together back down the stairs and landed in a heap on the stone floor. Andrew got up first and helped Carrie to her feet.

The ball had smashed a hole in the wall behind them, and upon investigating, they discovered a familiar figure inside.

"...Oh, you... You're no Hollow, eh? Thank goodness... I'm done for, I'm afraid... I'll die soon, then lose my sanity... I wish to ask something of you... You and I, we're both Undead... Hear me out, will you?"

The pair nodded, and the downed knight who had saved them from imprisonment continued.

"...Regrettably, I have failed in my mission... But perhaps you can keep the torch lit... There is an old saying in my family... Thou who art Undead, art chosen... In thine exodus from the Undead Asylum, maketh pilgrimage to the land of Ancient Lords... When thou ringeth the Bell of Awakening, the fate of the Undead thou shalt know... Well, now you know... And I can die with hope in my heart... Oh, one more thing... Here, take this... An Estus Flask, an Undead favourite... Oh, and this…" He handed them a pair of amber bottles, as well as an iron key "That's the key to the door atop those stairs. I had scouted a way to get the drop on that monstrous Asylum Demon, but alas, my plan never reached that stage."

"That old saying… it's like that voice we heard." said Carrie

"Voice?" questioned the knight

"Conquer this accursed world of the undead, and live once again." filled in Andrew

"Hmm, I can't say for sure one way or the other. It could very well be part of your destiny. I could never have dreamed that the destiny of the chosen undead would be the undoing of the darksign itself." mused the knight

"We don't remember anything from before we became undead either. Is that normal?" asked Carrie

"No, I think not. Hmmm, have you any burial gifts? It is what we call objects of this world that undead often awaken in this world holding." explained the knight

The pair searched themselves. In the pocket of Andrew's hoodie, he found an old looking ring. And Carrie found a pocket sewn into her dress that contained a strange looking iron key.

"An Old Witch's Ring and a Master Key. I'm sure those will be useful on your journey." spoke the knight

Andrew slid the ring onto his finger, and Carrie returned the Master Key to her pocket.

"...Now I must bid farewell... I would hate to harm you after death... So, go now... And thank you…"

They both nodded somberly.

"Thank you for everything." said Carrie

And with that, they stepped out through the destroyed wall. And as they did, the same white mist that had flowed to them from the fallen hollow came from the room behind them. At the top of those stairs, they found another hollow waiting for them. It attacked with a flurry of knife attacks, but having better range, Andrew cut through his attack with an overhead slash and dropped him. The key that the knight had given them opened the gate behind it. Rounding the next corner, they were surprised by a pair of hollows lying in wait.

While Carrie blocked one, the other attacked Andrew. And even when he had dispatched it, he caught an arrow in the shoulder from an archer behind them. Carrie buried her knife in the chest of the hollow attacking her, and threw her shield up between Andrew and the next arrow just in time. The following attack by the daggered hollow was blocked by Andrew's sword.

"I've got your back." Andrew grunted, his attention on the threat at hand

Carrie charged the archer, and rammed into it with her shield. The skinny archer fell backwards, and Carrie brought the pointed bottom edge of her shield down on its chest until bones caved and it stopped moving. Gathering herself, Andrew joined at her side; hollow slain, and her dagger retrieved.

Carrie sheathed the dagger, and Andrew pulled the arrow from his shoulder and moved his arm experimentally. They once again stood before a misty wall of white light. Andrew took a drink from his Estus Flask, and readied his weapon.

Together they stepped through the light, and stepped onto a ledge above the head of the Asylum Demon. Letting out a battle cry, they leapt from the ledge in unison and drove their weapons into the chest of the massive creature. Carrie's dagger opened a long gash as she slid down its side, but Andrew's long blade slid in to the hilt and remained embedded in its flesh.

The demon roared and flailed about, trying to shake him off, but the longer he held on, the more the blade cut up the creature's insides. Carrie avoided its flails when she could, and blocked with her shield when she couldn't.

The creature was greatly weakened when it finally got wise. It stopped flailing and swatted Andrew off, sending him tumbling down to the ground and breaking his longsword in the process. Andrew readied the broken blade which was now the size of Carrie's dagger. The pair took a drink from their flasks, and attacked with renewed vigor. Their weapons were small, but the creature had only one weapon. When it struck at one, the other attacked furiously. No matter how hard it fought back, they fought tirelessly. And the harder it fought back, the more quickly it succumbed to its wounds. With one final unified strike, the hulking beast fell to its knees and disappeared into mist.

The victorious pair felt a surge of power as the mist flowed into them. Like the life force of the great monster charged their bodies with energy.

"I think I'm seeing what that voice meant by overcome this world." said Andrew

Carrie nodded, and took a drink from her flask. Andrew looked at the space the creature had occupied. A key, and two small black sprites had taken its place. Andrew collected the key, but when he tried to pick up one of the sprites, he accidentally crushed it in his hand. The energy of the sprite flowed into him in a black mist. But it felt… different from the energy he had felt before.

"Hey, try crushing that sprite in your hand." suggested Andrew

Carrie's deformed face managed a confused look, but she did so anyway. The same black mist flowed into her as well. With no clear explanation of what or why, the pair moved on. The key dropped by the creature fit perfectly into the lock on the huge iron doors.

"Let's get out of here." Said Andrew

Carrie nodded, and the pair threw their weight against the door, which opened with a slow groan. They climbed the path now ahead of them all the way to the peak, but there was nothing there. Just a sheer cliff, a sweeping landscape of snow capped mountains, and no way forward.

"What do we do now?" Mused Andrew

Carrie paused to think, but a loud screech split the air. By the time they looked for the source, an enormous black crow descended upon them. Carrie didn't even have time to raise her shield before the crow had caught them in its talons. Within moments, the Asylum was far behind as the crow carried them high over the snow capped mountains.


End file.
